Help Your Teen Create a Summer Job at Home
by Susan K. Elliott
Is your teenager thinking about getting a summer job? Would you like to help them boost their entrepreneurial talents? Your teen can bypass the traditional job-hunt by creating their own job — hosting a summer camp at home.
Start-up costs are minimal for this type of venture. With a little creative marketing, your child can have fun and make money at the same time. Since younger children relate to teenagers in a special way, teens can count on the children looking up to them.
Have your teen analyze their favorite activities to select a camp theme. Maybe they like to make jewelry or are good at carpentry. Perhaps they enjoy cooking or organizing LEGO competitions. Art, drama and sports all offer potential themes. Your teen could combine several interests to attract a wide group of campers.
12 Questions for a Teen to Ask
Look around your home or backyard to assess what you will need to entertain a group of campers. Think about time of day for your camp: morning, afternoon, or all-day? Do you have friends who can help run the camp? Who will do what? What would be a reasonable charge for the time and supplies needed? How much will mom or dad be involved? What kind of food or snacks will you provide? How many children can you handle? What ages? Will you host one week of camp or more? Will you require an advance deposit (to help cover your supply purchases and guarantee that campers will come)? What kind of problems might come up and how will you handle them? After you answer these questions, you will be ready to launch your camp plan.
Steps to Get Started
- Create a simple daily schedule for activities (and be flexible about adjusting it as needed when camp begins).
- Design simple fliers and distribute them in person, by snail mail or email to everyone you think might be a prospect.
- On the first day of camp, outline your camp rules. You may want to set up “off-limit” areas or spell out rules of conduct. Let children know what to expect.
- Start camp with an icebreaker activity, helping children get to know each other.
- If children attend camp during lunchtime, have them bring sack lunches from home. You can provide milk or drinks.
- Plan a simple snack break.
- Most important, have fun!
Susan K. Elliott is the author of Start Your Own Home-Based Summer Camp, which offers 150+ creative camp ideas, 36 crafts and activities, 60+ recipes for 8 cooking camp themes, resources, sample forms and complete guidance to starting a home-based camp, http://www.homesummercamp.com
